


Redbeard for Christmas

by arbitrarybookshelf



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Redbeard - Freeform, Sherlock - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-24
Updated: 2015-05-24
Packaged: 2018-04-01 01:56:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4001602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arbitrarybookshelf/pseuds/arbitrarybookshelf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Every time something favourable happens, in Sherlock's mind (four serial suicides and a note, for example), he exclaims that 'it's Christmas', but from the scenarios in both 'A Scandal in Belgravia' and 'His Last Vow', we see how he loathes the holiday itself. So, my question is; If Sherlock Holmes hates Christmas so much, why does he communicate his euphoria by using the term?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Redbeard for Christmas

Mrs Holmes knew it was a risk getting a dog for Christmas.

She'd seen the countless adverts advising against it, and knew that there was a chance it would be neglected, but she was desperate. Sherlock was becoming more quiet, reserved and incredibly lonely. Her once playful, loving and cheeky little boy was starting to lock himself in his room much more often, only coming down for meals, and sometimes not even then.

Sherlock had never been very good at making friends. At the start of the year one of the new children in his class had followed him around, but he'd quickly caught on to the general opinion of Sherlock's personality, and made new friends. Initially, Mrs Holmes had bought him a hamster to compensate for Sherlock's lack of human companionship, but after a week of living in a cage in Sherlock's room, the poor creature had died for unexplained reasons, it's mouth stained a suspicious shade of purple.

The truth was, Sherlock needed company. Mrs Holmes had read about the various stories about dogs connecting with children (boys in particular) in a way that is rarely seen between any other pairing. Because her son had become so detached, Mrs Holmes was set on the idea that a canine friend would solve all of her son's emotional issues.

After scouring the internet (and deleting the search history numerous times), Mrs Holmes fell in love with red setters. She'd spent some time as a young girl on a farm with her parents where the owners had two of them, so she knew how high-maintenance they were. After some deliberation, she decided that this would only keep Sherlock occupied, and that was sort of the point.

Because the litter she'd had her eye on was due any week, Mrs Holmes had made an agreement with one of her neighbours that the dog could live on their farm until Christmas morning. She was sure that Sherlock would become suspicious of his mother's increased 'shopping trips' to see the dog, but it was a risk she was willing to take. Meanwhile, she and her husband set about dog-proofing the house.

The Holmes' house was usually rather clean, but the porch cupboard had to be cleared out to make room for various supplies that would be needed for the new arrival. None of the cupboards had to be child locked (thank goodness), because all the cleaning fluids and chemicals had been put in the highest cupboards, where Sherlock couldn't reach them and use them in another unsupervised experiment. This meant there were few things within reach that could harm the new puppy.

\----

The puppy was almost two months old when Christmas came.

Sherlock and Mycroft had been coaxed downstairs in the early hours of the morning by a frankly ecstatic mother. She couldn't wait to see the expression on her little boys' faces when they saw their new friend. When she opened the door to the living room to reveal their father sitting on the carpet with a mess of long red hair, the reaction was perfect.

Sherlock stood, stock still at the doorway, a slow smile lifting his face into an expression of uncontainable glee. From the moment he saw the puppy, Mrs Holmes knew she'd done exactly the right thing.

From that day on, Captain Sherlock and the appropriately named 'Redbeard' were an inseparable duo.


End file.
